Newsies One-shots!

Gone - Jack Kelly

I've seen some awesome things done with Jack coming back from Santa Fe,  happy reunites, anger, sadness but he always comes back to something he knows. Well, I don't want him to. Jack has been in Santa Fe for 2 years btw and the strike never happened

TW: death(of major and minor characters), homophobia, assault, fights, depression, anxiety, amputees, limb loss, disabilities

With a screech, the train halted. He jumped off hoping to see a familiar face. His frantic glances were useless. He knew not a soul there. 

Did they get my letter?

The boy started running to a place he hadn't seen in years, a place he longed to leave until he had. Leaving that place he thought was a hellhole was actually home. 

He couldn't hear any life from the building, no boys shouting, teasing, roughhousing. 

This isn't home. A frown cemented on his face. 

He headed towards the bridge, he still didn't see a familiar face. In fact, he couldn't hear the calls of paperboys anywhere. 

He started to run across Brooklyn Bridge. At the other side, he saw a vaguely familiar face. 

A face of a 12-year-old boy, dirty and worn.  Eyes wise beyond years, tired and soulless. 

Les Jacobs. 

Where has the little boy, with a fire and life in his eyes? The only thing remaining of the boy was a battered wooden sword. 

"What do ya's want in Brooklyn?" A voice void of happiness. With no recognition. 

"It's me, Jack! Jack Kelly! Youse do remember right, Les?" His face dimmed with confusion and concern. 

"Oh." Les still had an unhappy voice. "Back from Santa Fe Ise see." 

"Les? What's a matta? Youse ain't happy ta see me?"

"No." Les looked angry. "You ain't David. Now go to the Brooklyn Lodging house. Ise guarding an' ya buggin' me." 

Ain't Davey? What did that mean?

It occupied his mind until he reached the lodging house. Inside he heard muted life, not like Manhattan. 

He slowly went in. 

"Jack?" He heard a female voice call. 

"Kathrine?" He saw the red-headed girl with a young newsie clung to her legs. She didn't wear a dress but instead a standard newsie outfit. 

"Just a minute Sprinter, go see Elmer." She whispered to the little boy and he scampered off to Elmer. 

"Your back, " Kathrine smiled. "I got ya letter but no one could come to the station." 

"Oh, it's okay. What's going on though?" Jack noticed Kathrine had picked up a slight accent and everyone looked tired. 

"I can see you still lack smarts. Much too much has happened. It's been two years Jack!" She drug him behind the lodging house. 

"Hey! Can't Ise say hello?" 

"No. Not everyone is happy with you." Her eyes were lukewarm. 

"Where is Spot? And everyone else?" 

"You really want to know?" Kathrine looked uncomfortable. 

"Yes." 

"That sucks. Go back to Santa Fe. You'd be happy there. Not here." 

"Youse wrong but just tell me what happened," Jack demanded. 

"Fine."

Spot Conlon and Racetrack Higgins, former leaders of Brooklyn. Led for 6 months, after Jack left Manhattan was forced to combine with Brooklyn. Race and Spot led quite well, though violence was common everyone was okay, they fell in love. One day they were pushed off Brooklyn Bridge by an unknown person out of homophobia.  A few suspects included newsies from Manhattan that never moved. 

After the lovers' death, David Jacobs took leadership. Davey was a stellar leader, but he never finished school. Les and he had to move to Brooklyn and leave their parents. Les Jacobs also never finished his education, leaving him nearly illiterate. Davey led for nearly a year but he was so stressed it killed him. 

Jack stood in shock. 

"He stood up from his bed in the morning and just fell to the floor asleep again only to never wake up." 

Les Jacobs was hit hard by his brother's death, he blamed Jack and was very behind in emotional maturity. 

Kathrine Pulitzer left he job as a journalist and became the leader of the newsies, and is to this day. 

Elmer takes care of the youngest newsies, and Crutchie,  but only has 9 fingers after a factory accident. Crutchie can't walk anymore and is taken care of by Specs, he still tries to crack jokes but his final days are coming soon. 

Specs is like a resident doctor. Albert has a factory job and stops by to see the newsies all the time. 

Mike and Ike grew too restless and killed each other on accident during a fight under Spot and Race's rulership. Fights were closely monitored from then on. 

Countless young newsies were killed by automobiles.

"Oh my god." Jack was speechless. He felt guilt hit him like a train. He went to apologize but no words could make up. 

Everything was different and his old life was gone. 

He should have stayed in Manhattan or never came back to it. He could have helped or suffered with them or never known at all. 

Either way, it was gone.